


this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

by Marie



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Highschool AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-10
Updated: 2013-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-04 21:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/715118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie/pseuds/Marie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They had agreed that a break was the best thing for them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore

**Author's Note:**

> Part of blurbery's highschool au universe on Tumblr.

Sokka had left the room when Katara had started snapping at Aang. Aang realised that this was probably to avoid watching, or becoming, part of an argument which wasn’t his, but he still glared at Sokka’s retreating back as he mumbled something about going to get them some pizza.

The air in the room had grown kind of tense when Katara had come in, snow resting in her scarf and hair, and she had seen her brother and ex-boyfriend playing on the X-Box. Not that there was any bad blood between the two – she had just found it awkward as she had came home to this scene so many times before and it was so familiar that she had to restrain herself from dropping to kiss the younger boy as she passed behind the sofa.

Aang had greeted her warmly, albeit a little too warmly, asking her about her finals and apologising for not calling recently. The mood had turned sour when he started talking about going with Ty Lee to the Winter Formal. Her boyfriend Teo was still laid up in hospital with a bum knee and Aang enjoyed the bubbly girl’s company so had no problem agreeing to go with her when she asked.

“Are you serious?” Katara asked, a dark frown growing across her face. “She’s gonna be all over you.”

“Tara, her boyfriend’s in the hospital,” Aang answered, his own brow dropping as he stared at the TV screen. “I’m pretty sure she isn’t going to try and stick her tongue down my throat.”

“As if,” she huffed, slouching down in the chair and glaring at the screen as the boys played on. The only noise in the room was the occasional explosion from the game. “Jet asked me to get coffee with him once we’re back from vacation.”

“That guy is a creep, Katara,” Sokka answered, pushing his thumbs against the game pad in a particularly violent motion. “Why even bring it up when we all know what you told him?”

“I said maybe,” Katara sniffed as she folded her arms across her chest defensively.

“Seriously?” Aang shook his head and snorted. “And you think Ty Lee can’t control herself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her voice pitched to shrill proportions as her eyes bore a hole in the side of his head.

Aang dropped his voice to a low mumble as he impersonated Jet, “Hey, babe, wanna come up and see my room in the Frat House? I have a killer sound system.”

“Sokka! You told him?” Katara’s anger switched to her brother, an accusing glare causing Sokka to shrink into his seat.

“Leave me out of this you guys,” Sokka mumbled as he continued to focus on his game.

“Yeah, Sokka told me,” Aang answered for the older boy, “frankly, I’m hurt I had to hear it from him. We used to tell each other everything.”

“It has nothing to do with you, Aang,” Katara said, her tone cutting across the room with an icy snap.

“I’m gonna go pick up a pizza or something,” Sokka jumped to his feet, his character dying a dramatic death as he put the controller on his seat. “Back soon.”

Aang glared at the older of the two siblings as he left the room. He dropped his game pad on the seat with Sokka’s and ran his hand through his hair, a puff of air exiting his mouth in a frustrated sigh.

“You really think that?”

“What?”

Aang sighed at Katara’s standoffish monosyllabic reply, glancing at her rigid form across the room. This was why they had decided to take a break from all of this, from each other. Most of their conversations had ended in standoff and their time together had become strained as they fought about their commitments at school and college. They had felt stilted. Like there was nowhere else for the relationship to go to while they were living such different lives. Aang knew he still loved her, he still wanted to be with her, but he just couldn’t be around her when she acted like this. They sat in strained silence as Aang tried to articulate his question in the least accusing manner he could muster.

“You think that you going on a date with Jet is really none of my business?”

She couldn’t bring her eyes to meet his as his hurt voice, soft and low, cut into her heart. Katara was never planning on saying yet to Jet, hell when he had tried to sweet talk her into his room she had practically kicked him in the balls. She missed Aang, he was all she thought about when she would try to fall asleep at night or when she saw other couples around campus, holding hands or sharing a kiss. Being in the same room as her brother and Suki was painful if Sokka was acting his usual smooch gooey self. She didn’t know what to say to Aang.

“You know how I get about stuff like this…”

“Tara, this is ridiculous. I haven’t got a clue what’s going through your head,” Aang tried to catch her gaze as he leant forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands crossing at the wrist. “I thought us being apart was supposed to make all of this easier for now.”

“I get jealous,” Katara muttered. She drew her knees up to her body, her chin resting atop them and her arms wrapped tightly around her shins.

“You know Ty Lee is harmless. She might be overly affectionate but she’s into Teo,” Aang replied softly. “Don’t use it as an excuse. You were out of line.”

“I was never going to go out with Jet. You just never act like this whole thing bothers you.”

“And you think talking to me like that is going to get the reaction you wanted?” Aang shot back, his temper rising. “You think I don’t think about you? You think I don’t miss you? Katara, I miss you every day. I hate this more than anything else in the world. It was supposed to the best decision for the both of us.”

“Aang-“

“What do you want from me? Do you want me to be calling you every day, begging for us to be together again? Should I be lashing out in a hormonal ball of rage whenever you mention any other guy’s name?” Aang asked with a grimace on his face as their eyes finally met. “I can’t be that guy, Tara. I’m not that insecure in myself or our relationship. After all this settles down, we’re gonna be together and we’re gonna be happy. I believe that, don’t you?”

“I want to be happy,” Katara replied, her eyes glistening wetly and her chin quivering. “I want to be happy now.”

“Don’t do that to me; don’t make it out like I’m in charge of your happiness. We agreed this was for the best – we would’ve hated each other if we’d stayed together and acting like we were,” Aang frowned, his lips downturned in sadness.

Silence returned to the room as Aang stood from the couch and stretched, his arms raising above his head before crossing over his chest. He sighed in frustration, wishing there was an easy solution to their problems. Katara stood up, her face dry despite the glimmer of tears making her eyes shine a bright blue. Aang dropped his arms to his sides as she took a step towards him.

“You’ve gotten so tall,” Katara whispered, looking up into his steel-coloured gaze. She stopped less than a foot away from him, her hands reaching out to smooth over the collar of his shirt sticking out of his sweater. “Where did my little Boy in the Freezer go?”

“He grew up for you,” Aang answered as he bracketed her waist with his hands, his fingers gripping tightly to feel her body heat through her chunky sweater. They stood like that for a moment, their gazes locked before Aang’s hands moved, one curling around her back to bring her closer and the other grasping at her jaw, tilting her head. “I did it for you Katara. I love you.”

“What are we doing?” Her voice was breathless, her eyes already beginning to close in anticipation.

“What our hearts have been telling us to do for a long time,” his reply brushed against her parted lips, his breath hot against her sensitive skin. She hummed in assent as Aang’s eyes closed and their lips met, moving against each other for the first time in months.

It was a messy kiss, teeth clashing and tongues fighting. Katara’s hand was pulling at his shirt collar, stooping him while she stood on tiptoe to try and even out their height difference; her other hand gripped at the hair at the nape of his neck, her nails biting into the skin of his scalp. Aang’s hand had migrated from her jaw into her hair in a similar fashion, his fingers wrapped around the long length and using it as leverage to tilt her head into the kiss. The hand had wrapped around her waist had run along the length of her spine before settling on her curve of her behind, pushing her pelvis into his own in a sinfully pleasurable way.

She whimpered when he pulled his mouth away from hers and her hand dropped from his hair to rest against his thundering heartbeat. Her head dropped as well as she returned to her feet sitting flat on the floor, resting her flushed face against his shoulder. Aang’s held her close, his hand releasing her hair and instead cupping her scalp gently. They breathed heavily for a moment, their eyes closed.

“I want to be with you,” Katara said finally, her voice muffled against his sweater. “I don’t want us to be apart anymore. I miss you.”

“I want that too,” Aang replied. A moment’s pause passed through the air. “But what about school and sports? My college applications? We both have a lot going on right now.”

“It’ll be a lot of work,” Katara answered. There was a heavy silence. “It’s worth though, I think. I feel settled at school; I don’t worry so much about balancing everything. I want to make room for you in my life… is there still room for me in yours?”

“The space was never filled,” he chuckled quietly. “I’m just so in love with you. So, so in love with you.” Heat flooded his face and he buried his face in the hair at the crown on her head. “That’s so cheesy.”

“You’re the cheesiest,” Katara replied, pushing away from him to peer up at his face. “We’ll make it work though, right?”

“Of course we will,” Aang instantly answered, his hand cupping her jaw and bringing her in for a light peck of the lips. He looked at her for a moment, a big goofy grin covering his face before he released her and flopped back down to the sofa. Folding his hands behind his head, he sighed. His eyes were closed as he muttered, “I’m tired.”

“Me too,” Katara replied. She watched him as his chest rose with deep and even breaths. He looked peaceful. With a small smile to herself, Katara crawled onto the sofa and then into his lap, her knees snug on either side of his hips and her face pressed into the warm skin of his neck. “Hey, Aang?” He hummed in response, one of his hands curving around her back. “I’m sorry. For everything. I shouldn’t have tried to get a reaction out of you. That wasn’t fair on you.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Aang agreed. “I’m sorry too, I should have thought about how you felt. Maybe we just need to talk more.”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, her lips brushing against his skin. Katara hadn’t realised how much she had missed his warmth seeping through their clothes to her own skin until that moment. She kissed up the length of his throat, her nose nuzzling into his stubbly jaw before her lips slid along his cheek bone. He grabbed her hand with his own free one, lacing their fingers together as she kissed him soundly on the lips. Katara’s other arm wrapped around his neck, bringing his face closer as she ran her tongue along Aang’s lips.

“Tara, you’re killing me,” Aang mumbled against her lips. The hand at the base of her spine pulled her body against his own with his hips thrusting up against her of their own violation.

“Will it be different this time?” she asked, her forehead pressing against his and her hair falling around their faces like a curtain. “Will we be different this time?” Katara gasped as his hips thrust again, the stiff fabric and zipper of his jeans rubbing against the thinner fabric of her leggings.

“I wasn’t ready before,” Aang answered, rolling his face to kiss her jaw line. “I know you were and that it didn’t help our situation before. I felt too young.” His tongue lapped against her pulse point on her throat. “But all I’ve thought about since September is you. I’ve thought about what it feels like to kiss you and what your hands feel like against my skin. And I’ve wondered,” he paused to nip at her over sensitive skin, “I’ve wondered what it would feel like to touch you and how you would feel against my skin.”

Her breath panted out harshly as she rocked against him. She couldn’t stop herself as she pulled their linked hands to her breast, settling his larger palm against the rounded flesh. Aang’s fingers flexed, feeling the lines of her bra cup beneath her sweater.

“Heeey guys, I got some- what is- oh my God!” Sokka’s voice cut into their cloudy thoughts with a shrill shriek. He turned his back on his sister and friend, a strangled cry filling the awkward silence. “It’s great. You guys are great. Everything’s great. I’m glad you guys have sorted your problems out. We all love each other. Please tell me when I can turn around again.”

“For goodness sake! How old are you Sokka?” Katara snapped, extracting herself from Aang’s lap to flop next to him on the sofa with a grumpy huff.

“I don’t think that’s relevant to this,” Sokka answered, his hand running through his shaggy hair. “No one wants to see their sister doing… that!”

“You and Suki have done worse in front of everyone!”

“Suki is no one’s sister,” he replied evenly. “Is it safe to turn around yet?”

“Yes,” Aang answered gruffly, shifting on the couch uncomfortable, a scowl on his usually passive features.

“As I was saying, I got some pizza – did you guys know they’ll put anything in a stuffed crust if you tip them enough?” Sokka grinned as Katara groaned and Aang leant forward, interested in what might be inside the pizza box.

All things considered, having his eyes burned out by the sight of Katara drying humping Aang on the sofa where he sat was worth the trade of there being a return to normality. Sokka didn’t think he could have put up with much more moping from either of them. He hid his smile behind his slice of pizza. He had missed normal.


End file.
